Company may bring up to 1,800 jobs to Melbourne airport

TO GIVE HIMSELF UP AFTER A MOM IS MURDERED RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER KIDS. BUT WE'RE GOING TO START BY TALKING ABOUT B2 STEALTH BOMBERS, ARGUABLY ONE OF THE MOST ELITE AIRCRAFTS IN THE WORLD. NOW NEW SIMILAR LONG-RANGE BOMBERS COULD BE COMING TO BREVARD COUNTY. GOOD EVENING TO YOU. I'M MATT AUSTIN. I'M LISA BELL. NORTHROP GRUMMAN IS GOING TO BE EXPANDING ITS FACILITY IN MELBOURNE AND WORD IS IT COULD ALL BE TO BUILD AND DESIGN THE NEXT GENERATION BOMBER. JUSTIN WARMOTH HAS BEEN AT THE MELBOURNE ALL DAY. YOU'VE BEEN TALKING TO COMPANY LEADERS THERE. WE HAVE, LISA. THEY WON'T GO INTO DETAIL ABOUT WHAT THEY HAVE PLANNED FOR MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, BUT WE LEARNED FROM SENATOR BILL NELSON, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, THAT NORTHROP GRUMMAN IS PLANNING TO DESIGN AND BUILD THE NEXT GENERATION OF BOMBERS, RIGHT HERE ON THE SPACE COAST. IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER PROJECTS IN THE NATION AND GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT CONFIRMED THIS MORNING NORTHROP GRUMMAN HAS SELECTED BREVARD COUNTY FOR AN EXPANSION THAT COULD ADD 1800 JOBS AT AN AVERAGE SALARY OF $100,000 A YEAR. THIS IS A FANTASTIC, GREAT DAY FOR BREVARD COUNTY AND THE STATE OF FLORIDA. SOON AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE THIS MORNING, WE LEARNED THE SPACE COAST COULD SOON PLAY A PART IN BUILDING AND DESIGNING THE U.S. MILITARY'S NEXT GENERATION LONG-RANGE BOMBER. SENATOR BILL NELSON SAID NORTHROP GRUMMAN IS EXPANDING ITS FACILITY AT MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FACILITY TO BUILD A NEW STRIKE BOMBER, A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR BOMBER THAT STILL NEEDS APPROVAL TO BUILD. IT'S HUGE. HAVING THESE KIND OF JOBS AND THESE KINDS OF SKILL SETS, IT WILL BRING OTHERS AND IT WILL BE HUGE FOR OUR COUNTY. THE NEW INVESTMENT IS GOING TO BE AN EXPANSION TO THE MANNED DESIGN CENTER. AS FOR PROJECT MAGELLAN, IT WILL BE BROKEN UP INTO TWO PHASES. PHASE 1 WILL BE A 220,000-SQUARE-FOOT OFFICE BUILDING. PHASE 2 WILL INCLUDE THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN ADDITIONAL 500,000-SQUARE-FOOT BUILDING ADDING AN ADDITIONAL 1500 JOBS. THE LONG-RANGE BOMBER THAT SENATOR BILL NELSON IS TALKING ABOUT IS LIKELY THE REPLACEMENT FOR THE EXISTING B-52 BOMBERS. WE'RE TOLD NORTHROP GRUMMAN IS NOT THE ONLY COMPANY VYING FOR A POSITION TO BUILD THESE BOMBERS. BOEING AND LOCKHEED-MARTIN TEAMED UP TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN VERSION. I'LL GO INTO THAT, MORE DETAIL AT 6:00. BACK TO YOU. PRETTY COOL PROSPECTS THERE, JUSTIN. WHEN IS THE FIRST PHASE GOING TO OPEN? WELL, MATT, WE'VE BEEN TOLD

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -

Northrop Grumman, officially announced on Thursday as the company behind "Project Magellan," will design and build next-generation bombers in Melbourne.

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"I am happy to announce that @northropgrumman is continuing to expand in Florida, & could create up to 1,800 jobs," Scott tweeted. "This announcement is a testament to our success in creating an opportunity economy - we must continue to build on this success."

“This is huge,” U.S. Senator Bill Nelson said. “The development and assembly of America’s long range strike aircraft in Melbourne is a new beginning for the Space Coast.”

The next-generation bomber will eventually replace the Northrop-built B-2 bomber.

State legislators in March approved the state incentives for what was then called "Project Magellan." Northrop Grumman will receive nearly $21 million in state incentives.

The project designated for Melbourne International Airport marks one of the largest single economic development projects approved during Scott's tenure as governor.

The project will occur in multiple phases.

The first phase will begin with a new 220,000-square foot office building and the addition of 300 jobs. That will be followed up with the construction of additional facilities totaling 500,000 square feet and 1,500 additional jobs that could pay an average of $100,000 per year.

“This is a huge victory for families on the Space Coast," Scott said.

Based on a combination of jobs and the payroll figures, the project represents the nation's largest economic development project in the last five years, local economic development officials said.

Melbourne was in the running against San Antonio and other communities in Florida, officials said.

This is the latest major investment by Northrop Grumman in Brevard.

Last year, the aerospace giant said that it would build a Manned Aircraft Design Center of Excellence at the airport, bringing 1,000 jobs to the county. Work began last summer.

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